The Palm Desert Aztecs's game last Tuesday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Thursday. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 75-43 victory over Xavier Prep. Given Palm Desert's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 246th, while Xavier Prep is ranked 1045th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Palm Desert to victory were Kamrynn Nathan and Coby Christensen. Nathan scored 23 points along with six assists and three steals, while Christensen almost dropped a triple-double on 18 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Nathan has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Wil Wilson, who scored 14 points along with three steals.
Johnny Ferrel and Paul Dreisbach certainly did their best on Thursday to try and avoid the loss. Ferrel scored 15 points, while Dreisbach dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. Tre Rochin was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Palm Desert is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-4 record this season. As for Xavier Prep, their loss was their sixth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 5-18.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Palm Desert will take on La Quinta at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. La Quinta has now lost eight straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 27. As for Xavier Prep, they will be playing at home against Rancho Mirage at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Rancho Mirage knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight matchups -- so hopefully Xavier Prep likes a good challenge.
